Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

[bbates123]

The 17 is easier to wrap your hand around than the Air. The batter life is ‘fine’. Why would anyone pay a premium price for ‘fine’? Most people may be ‘fine’ with a single camera, but they are not paying a premium for it.

Battery life is the same as my 16 Pro which nobody was complaining about a few months ago. Have you held both the Air and the base 17 for extended periods of time so you can quantify your response with real world usage? I have...not with the base 17 but with the base 16 which is even smaller and lighter than the base 17 and I find the Air to be easier to hold for extended periods of time.

 

[jonnyb098]

How are you so sure the majority of iPhone buyers seek out & actually listen to influencers?

$999 vs. $799 for two options that will "work the same" for the vast majority of users is probably what's tanking the Air.

$800 is painful enough but I think $1000 for a phone that most know will need to be replaced in a few years is a huge pill to swallow for the average (re: majority) user.

The two pro models are usually the top sellers. Most people(for better or worse) are on payment plans and rarely buy the phone outright for that $999. It’s a monthly payment plan.

 

[allseeingi’s]

We need whole day battery life not thinner phone. Almost everyone use phone cases which it counter all the effort of making phone thinner

Oooh such awareness will not go down well with the deniers 😉

 

[vantelimus]

I happened to be in an Apple Store yesterday and spent a few minutes looking at this phone. It really is impressively thin. It feels nice in the hand. But it doesn't feel $200 nicer than the base model.

 

[Mike Wolf]

I feel bad for the designers and engineers who worked hard creating the Air. All their hard work wasted on the biggest commercial flop since the Apple Pippin.

 

[zenmacx]

Apple I could care less about you making my phone any thinner than it already is. What I would rather have is no freaking "camera bump", lets put our "thin innovation" to work in that area and make a flush phone like the iPhone 5. I hate to give Google props on anything, but the new Pixel 9A is exactly what I am looking for, except it runs Android. And even with the larger pixels, their camera bumps are even across, the iPhone Air bump is ridiculous with two different levels that sits very uneven on a surface.

Your Pixel 9a example is perfect. I too enjoy and prefer a phone with a flat back.

In fact that’s the precise reason one of my secondary lines is connected to my iPhone 16e. Small, compact and flat with only the slightest trim ring around the lens.

Secure in its thin Spigen case, the ring is flush allowing the 16e to sit flat on the table with no rocking.

 

[DJLoomer]

iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued by the end of 2025.

According to Kuo, the iPhone Air's poor performance suggests that the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models already "cover the majority of high-end user demand," so there is little room for new market segments.

There have been multiple reports suggesting the iPhone Air has failed to catch on with consumers. Last week, Japan's Mizuho Securities said that Apple would reduce iPhone Air production by a million units because of underwhelming sales performance, and earlier today, Nikkei said that there is "virtually no demand" for the iPhone Air, and that Apple would "drastically" cut production.

Apple competitor Samsung is apparently seeing the same response to its super thin smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. Reports suggest that Samsung canceled development of a next-generation model after disappointing sales.

Apple's standard iPhone and Pro iPhone models have consistently performed well, but it has struggled with its fourth wildcard spot in the iPhone lineup. Apple experimented with a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone mini that did not sell well, and then moved to a larger iPhone Plus that served as a more affordable version of the large-sized Pro Max. That too failed, leading Apple to try a 5.6mm build that compromised on features for a lightweight and thin design.

We could get yet another new form factor as soon as 2026, with rumors suggesting that Apple will debut a foldable iPhone as part of the iPhone 18 lineup.

Article Link: Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

Ming Chi Kuo is truly the broken clock analyst. How many times does he come up with some sort of revelatory scoop going into earnings, hitting the price with no actual data, just to be proven wrong? Those comments have virtually no relevance. Reduced capacity 80%? From What to What? Sold out in China? How many units? If you don't know how many they built, and you don't know how many the shipped, how can you calculate the actual value of a XX% reduction in anything?

 

[Bahamut Eos]

No one cared if an iMac was skinnier, and not one care's if there phone is like 3 mm thinner either. Honestly they are about as thin as they need to be these days and any thiner it just feels like it's going to break.

 

[Jfzio]

Doesn’t surprise me. Apple 🔩 the 🐩 on this thing always pushing high end models: can you imagine if Apple had surprised everyone with a iFlip Phone as a basic model?
Personally I call it as such. Take an iPhone X and glue an Insta 360 go to the back😉

 

[Tozovac]

The two pro models are usually the top sellers. Most people(for better or worse) are on payment plans and rarely buy the phone outright for that $999. It’s a monthly payment plan.

Very interesting. Opposite of what I thought (not knew). If I'm wrong I admit I'm wrong. I know I'm not the typical consumer. Always buy 1 or 2-year old cars, and I've only bought 1 iPhone and 1 Apple computer that wasn't an Apple refurb. If all shoppers were like me the American economy would suffer.

 

[dypeterc]

Don’t believe the hype.

As an Air owner, I’m super happy with my purchase. Form factor is perfect. Don’t miss the other lenses (I have a dedicated Leica for that). I go a full day with 6-7 hrs of screen time while at work (on the phone messaging all day). I’ve also gone 20 hrs of pretty heavy usage (out in bright sun, 6+ hrs of Maps navigation) with the battery pack and came home with 90% charge still on the phone.

 

[mlayer]

I feel bad for the designers and engineers who worked hard creating the Air. All their hard work wasted on the biggest commercial flop since the Apple Pippin.

They'll be fine. Their designs will work its way into future iPhones, whether the foldable, the base model, or the Pro/Max variants. At some point people will get tired of the same old, heavy, slab design brick.

 

[Mr_Ed]

But still, nobody wants a smaller phone. The only thing that MIGHT change that is possible application of new battery chemistry over the next 3-4 years like solid state batteries, which may allow an iPhone 13 mini-sized phone to have over 4,000 mAh internal batteries.

Even in this forum you’ll find people asking for smaller phones.

For some of us the phone is not used for a lot of media consumption aside from perhaps, music/audio podcasts, so the extra screen real estate is not critical. When extensive media consumption is limited, so is the need for bigger battery. After having 2 Pro Max phones, I’m ready for a phone with a significantly smaller footprint next time.

 

[jakebrosy]

IF the whole phone were thinner I’d get it.

But Apple merged a super-slim butt to a big fat head—it still has the annoying camera bump every iPhone has—so what was the use? It’s not really thinner.

Plus by the time you add the requisite case the skinniness becomes invisible. I suspect it’s actually more difficult to extract from a pocket because the thickness difference makes the bump more pronounced and susceptible to catching on a seam…

 

[bill-p]

But many people also use the iPhone Air connected to a local WiFi network, too. Many users, especially overseas, connect to public WiFi, where speeds are surprisingly good (I was in Taipei last year and got very good speeds at that city's public WiFi hotspots with my iPhone 16 Plus). I still say the iPhone Air will be lot more desirable with a 3,900 to 4,000 mAh internal battery.

Apple used to ship phones with lower capacity batteries in the past. It's only recently they had to play the "thickness game" with Android because users have absolutely no idea what "efficiency" even means any more when Android phones ship with massive batteries.

So that's why you're wishing for 3900mAh or 4000mAh.

You just don't realize that say... a phone like S25 Edge actually lasts about the same as iPhone Air or... even less on battery. That's just how much more efficient Air is compared to competitors. I know because I had the S25 Edge as well. Gave up on it when I got Air in. So now I only have Z Fold 7 and Air.

Granted, if Samsung could fit 2 cameras, dual speakers, and a 3900mAh battery into the S25 Edge, Apple definitely should be able to do the same with Air as well. I can agree with that. But honestly, Air does not need a bigger battery as it is. Unless you're a heavy phone user, but a heavy phone user should also not look at Air to begin with anyway.

 

[applefan8254]

I think the Air formfactor is perfect! If they could get a better zoom and thermals perfected it would be perfect.

For thermals, What if they could add two pogo pins for direct energy transfer. The strong magsafe would still be beneficial for on-the-go usage, (and backward compatibility with regular qi2) to avoid wires sticking out when pocketed, but it could enable better more "full" usage of the 5000mah. And thermals wise, energy could transfer directly through the pogo pins instead of qi which generates a bunch of heat.

For better zoom, I might suggest they follow xiaomis lead and place the two pogo pins exactly where xiaomi does. This way, we've got the start of a standard for the whole industry for not just battery packs, but better zoom lenses as well.

Xiaomi example with two pogo pins embedded in the magsafe ring -

n1OcKF

 

[splifingate]

I feel bad for the designers and engineers who worked hard creating the Air. All their hard work wasted on the biggest commercial flop since the Apple Pippin.

I feel bad for the designers and engineers who worked hard creating the Mini.

This may eventually validate the negation of their comeuppance.

 

[Lamdus]

iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued by the end of 2025.

According to Kuo, the iPhone Air's poor performance suggests that the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro models already "cover the majority of high-end user demand," so there is little room for new market segments.

There have been multiple reports suggesting the iPhone Air has failed to catch on with consumers. Last week, Japan's Mizuho Securities said that Apple would reduce iPhone Air production by a million units because of underwhelming sales performance, and earlier today, Nikkei said that there is "virtually no demand" for the iPhone Air, and that Apple would "drastically" cut production.

Apple competitor Samsung is apparently seeing the same response to its super thin smartphone, the Galaxy S25 Edge. Reports suggest that Samsung canceled development of a next-generation model after disappointing sales.

Apple's standard iPhone and Pro iPhone models have consistently performed well, but it has struggled with its fourth wildcard spot in the iPhone lineup. Apple experimented with a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone mini that did not sell well, and then moved to a larger iPhone Plus that served as a more affordable version of the large-sized Pro Max. That too failed, leading Apple to try a 5.6mm build that compromised on features for a lightweight and thin design.

We could get yet another new form factor as soon as 2026, with rumors suggesting that Apple will debut a foldable iPhone as part of the iPhone 18 lineup.

Article Link: Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

I agree with you. I love the Air and, for me, the design elegance far out-ways the feature trade offs. It’s the most “Apple” phone in a long time. IMHO the current Pro models are bulky and awkward and would never have appeared during the Jobs/Ives era.

 

[psalex]

Who cares if it’s that thin if it’s that big surface wise. It’s too big for my wife’s Sands unfortunately.
They should’ve made it thin and the size of an iPhone mini.
And let

I think the Air formfactor is perfect! If they could get a better zoom and thermals perfected it would be perfect.

I disagree, it's like a mini ipad in your pocket, it's just too big!

 

[psalex]

Failure or not, this was an engineering challenge to prepare for the upcoming folding iPhone, which is going to resemble two of these stacked. And perhaps the tech will trickle down to the standard iPhone and ultimately make it thinner with the same battery life it has now.

It can be an engineering challenge... but it's still useless at that pricepoint. Less of a camera, less of a battery ... for what, a few mm saved. It's still a brick size-wise.

 

[joeblow7777]

We need whole day battery life not thinner phone. Almost everyone use phone cases which it counter all the effort of making phone thinner

A thin phone with a case is still thinner than a thick phone with a case. In fact, the Air with many cases is still thinner than a Pro without a case. So that point has never made sense to me.
Also, every battery test I've seen only shows that the Air's battery performance pretty nearly matches the entry 17, and matches or exceeds the 16. I think that this qualifies as all day battery life for most people.

I say this as a 17 Pro Max owner, so it's not like I have a vested interest in defending the Air, but I think that it's sometimes judged unfairly.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

Good, now bring back the mini and give us a pro version.

Exactly! Let's see how a properly specced Mini goes. Same marketing as the flagships, same love, same effort. If it still flops, then we can objectively call it a flop.

My single camera OG 2015 iPad Pro still takes better macros than my 2 camera 2021 13 Mini. That's how gimped the Mini is.

 

[MacInTO]

Doesn't this seem to be a reoccurring theme? They try a mid-range option that doesn't gain traction. I wonder what next years phone will be.

A foldable phone. Two of these with a hinge!

Almost all Chinese phone manufacturers have a foldable phone, some have more than one model.

 

[joeblow7777]

The Air needs to become the base model iPhone. Just like the MacBook Air became the base model Mac notebook. It took some time for that to happen, the same will happen on the iPhone.

But if they can add that second camera lens, and bring the price down $100, say goodbye to the base iPhone.

I think this is very likely. At launch the original Macbook Air was also widely criticized for being overpriced, underpowered, and missing a number of "must have" notebook features, like an optical drive. People said that only fools would accept all those sacrifices just for the sake of a sleek thin form factor...

Sound familiar?

 

[JPack]

I think this is very likely. At launch the original Macbook Air was also widely criticized for being overpriced, underpowered, and missing a number of "must have" notebook features, like an optical drive. People said that only fools would accept all those sacrifices just for the sake of a sleek thin form factor...

Sound familiar?

The difference is MacBook Air sold out at launch. And was sold out consistently for months. Some people complained, but many people bought it.

MacBook Air aflutter: demand stays strong, sold out often

Thintresting move, Steve! Be it marketing or design, the MacBook Air is hotter …

arstechnica.com

The picture is completely different with iPhone Air. The things being removed are not legacy like an optical drive. People want a second and third camera lens.